A Rose A Thorn
by Ishuzu
Summary: REAL Genre: Sex, drugs, rock and roll! The boys in the band are destined for the top but cupid is a knavish lad! Will they be happy? Will they get a record deal? Will Bakura return the toilet? (Pay No Attention to This Title)
1. The Concert

Me: I SHOULD be writing in my journal, helping out around the house, watching tv, adding to my story set in Egypt, studying more for my little test tomorrow, or otherwise doing something constructive, but I'm not. I'm sitting here, in front of my computer which has a black screen, in a dark Study Room, wearing the flannel, Smelly Man Shirt *which is rapidly becoming the Kurt Cobain Shirt* and dark nail polish, preparing to create some eeeeevil work of fanfiction that should have never been but is thanks to me ^^... Anyway... What the hell? He's goddamned sexy and I always knew he'd grow up to be a rock star. Sex drugs rock and roll, baby...  
  
Disclaimer: No I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And you better damn well consider yourselves disclaimed.  
  
Other Shit I Don't Own:   
  
"Smell Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana *I love it*   
  
"My Sweet Prince" by Placebo *Best... song... ever...*  
  
Me: I am void of a muse tonight; I scared all of them off on account of my bitchiness and angstitude... In case you were wondering, yeah... I'm kinda in a mood. Don't worry; I'm not always like this... BTW, this IS a OC *gasp!* I know they're frowned upon and I don't exactly feel fond of them myself but screw it. I'm just writing today and hopefully it's still good. It's mostly about seeing Yami as a rock star but uh... if you care that much, don't read it... The point is, this isn't very Mary Sue-ish by definition... Just read it if you want, I just want to write something before my head explodes...  
  
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Yami stood on the stage, sweat already collecting on his forehead even though he'd only just stepped out under the burning lights. His hair would stay, he knew, for not even a fucking hurricane could misplace his carefully-gelled locks. Tight, spandex pants and a black tee under a leather trench coat the color of midnight. Damn, it was hot. And so was he.   
  
He slung the guitar over his shoulders and tuned it. There was complete silence, even from the others in the band, as he thoroughly tested the frets and the sounds each one made. Finally, he raised his amethyst eyes to the inky blackness of the large room, to the realm beyond the stage, to his fans, and struck a loud, kick-ass cord. The audience went insane and he heard girls screaming "SHOW US YOUR REAL MILLENNIUM ITEM!!!!" Yami's eyes narrowed to slits as a pleased smiled slipped over his lips. Taking the microphone in one hand, the guitar in the other, he pulled the mike stand toward his body and whispered, his lips brushing the metal,  
  
"Here we are now..."   
  
As the screams rose, the band began to as well and Yami absorbed himself completely in the song.   
  
"Load up on guns and  
  
Bring your friends  
  
It's fun to lose  
  
And to pretend  
  
She's over bored  
  
And self assured  
  
Oh no, I know  
  
A dirty word"  
  
The band responded with a chorus of "Hello hello hello, how low?" and Yami grinned, the adrenaline pulsing through him with frightening ease.   
  
"With the lights out it's less dangerous  
  
Here we are now  
  
Entertain us  
  
I feel stupid and contagious  
  
Here we are now  
  
Entertain us"  
  
He closed his eyes and leaned into the mike. Out of the corner of one wood violet eye, he watched some chick in the front row faint. Another girl pushed her out of the way to get to her spot.   
  
"A mulatto  
  
An albino  
  
A mosquito  
  
My Libido  
  
Yeah"  
  
He pulled back and moved his hands over the guitar chords as he listened to Seto Kaiba's voice fill the arena. There were more screams. Kaiba was dressed in all white, a contrast to Yami's black. The white trench coat and what appeared to be ass-tight, white jeans (Hey, they looked good on him...) Yami noticed that Kaiba left the coat open, though he lacked a shirt. Kaiba's voice filled the next verse.   
  
"I'm worse at what I do best  
  
And for this gift I feel blessed  
  
Our little group has always been  
  
And always will until the end"  
  
Yami's eyes came in contact with those of a girl in the audience. She was not screaming or sobbing or staring his... uhm... pants... Her eyes locked with his completely and never moved an inch. He was taken aback... And slightly turned on. He blinked slowly for emphasis before he sung the next verse... what seemed like, only to her.   
  
"And I forget  
  
Just why I taste  
  
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile  
  
I found it hard  
  
It was hard to find  
  
Oh well, whatever, nevermind"  
  
She wore a black fedora over her copper hair and what appeared to be a black, floor-length trench coat, much like Yami's. Her hands were jammed deep in her pockets, though it wasn't cold. She wore a red silk shirt underneath, a pair of black jeans, and black boots that added at least four inches onto her height. She was dressed to kill and looked more like she belonged in a club, dancing close to some well-dressed businessman who wore cologne, then this shit-hole they were playing at. Her eyes never left his. Faintly, he thought of an earlier line in the song... "She's over bored/And self assured"...   
  
His thoughts were cut short, though, when Kaiba rammed his elbow under his ribcage. Yami had almost forgotten to sing. Reclaiming his voice, he sang the lines in all his sexy glory,   
  
"With the lights out it's less dangerous  
  
Here we are now  
  
Entertain us  
  
I feel stupid and contagious  
  
Here we are now  
  
Entertain us  
  
A mulatto  
  
An albino  
  
A mosquito  
  
My Libido  
  
Yeah"   
  
The whole band, Kaiba on bass guitar, Yami on lead, Joey and Malik on drums, and Bakura on tambourine (Yami had decided that he sucked at playing anything else so he just told him to stand there and pretend that he could play something because the tambourine never actually made any noise), screamed the final lyrics, their voices almost battling to be heard over the girls in the audience.   
  
"Yeah, a denial  
  
A denial  
  
A denial..."   
  
The song ended there and the cheering erupted from the people. Yami and Kaiba exchanged self-confident glances. They were the shit. And everybody knew it. Stay out of their fucking way cause they'd make it to the top and change it all.   
  
The music got quieter and Malik moved to a small keyboard to help with the next song. No less angsty but in a different way. Yami leaned into the mike again and the girls screamed. He supposed it had become his trademark thing. Sex with the mike. The first verse of the song fell like liquid from his lips and he scanned the crowd again. She was still there, her green eyes unflinching as he began to sing,   
  
"Never thought you'd make me perspire  
  
Never thought I'd do you the same  
  
Never thought I'd fill with desire  
  
Never thought I'd feel so ashamed"   
  
This was one of his favorite songs. He used to like to pick out one gorgeous girl in the audience to sing to and see how she reacted. This time, it was her. Not particularly gorgeous but something kept him from averting his eyes.   
  
"Me and the dragon can chase all the pain away  
  
So before I end my day remember  
  
My sweet prince you are the one  
  
My sweet prince  
  
You are the one"  
  
Kaiba turned to look at him, knowing that hungry glint which now showed in Yami's eyes. The taller boy followed the gaze of the other and soon saw the reason for that glint. A girl who seemed to never turn away from Yami's eyes, which could be almost frightening at times. Kaiba knew. He had seen those eyes turned on him before. They'd quickened his pulse and made him the slightest bit nervous. But this girl... She seemed too confident to let it scare her. Kaiba looked at Yami and wondered if the other would get what he seemed to be desiring at the moment. In this moment of deep thoughts, Kaiba wondered why Yami's eyes had lost that passionate glint when they focused on him. There used to be something. But now... it was just those hot, purple irises... void of the hunger and adrenaline they held for this girl. It didn't really bother Kaiba. What made him wonder was this: who had lost the passion first?   
  
"Never thought I'd get any higher  
  
Never thought you'd fuck--" On this line, Yami dug his fingers into the infamous mike stand and pulled his body forward against it. The high-pitched screams were deafening.   
  
"--with my brain  
  
Never thought all this could expire  
  
Never thought you'd go break the chain"  
  
Yami's eyes focused again on her. She was smiling. She seemed to be laughing almost as his cool self-confidence. His eyes darkened with a sinister flame. 'Yeah you want me, I know...' he thought and he watched as she blinked softly. Everything she did seemed to be completely thorough and thoughtful. 'Everything...?' Yami wondered...   
  
"Me and you baby  
  
Still flush all the pain away  
  
So before I end my day, remember  
  
My sweet prince  
  
You are the one  
  
My sweet prince  
  
You are the one  
  
You are the one"  
  
Yami's eyes closed and his breath came hot as he whispered the final lyrics, aided by the rest of the band.   
  
"My sweet prince  
  
My sweet prince  
  
You are the one"  
  
Cheering was again theirs and they all watched in awe as some half-crazed girl attempted to jump on the stage. She almost succeeded but the security guards were on her as soon as her Addidas-clad feet left the floor. Yami looked at the other boy standing next to him. Kaiba made the traditional rock-and-roll symbol with his hand and Yami returned the salute. Sex, drugs, rock and roll... Was it where they were truly headed? Yami had the rock and roll part down, though what they'd played so far was more grunge and uh... whateverthehell Placebo was... The drugs? Who knew? He'd always worried about Malik... The sex...? Still seeing the fedora-girl's eyes locked on him, he smiled. We'd see tonight...  
  
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Me: So... I'm museless and I need your opinions. Good? Bad? Shitty? Mary Sue-y? WhythehellisYamiarockstar? What of Kaiba's little inner monologue? I need feedback. Rock on people... 


	2. The Holiday Inn off I54

Me: Henh... (something remotely like "hiya") What's up? Well, I felt the need to write something, and though this fic didn't get that many reviews, I figured I'd take another stab at it. I must admit that it is quite strange, but what the hell...   
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my computer, my penname, or the money I should have received for cleaning the bathrooms *blegh*  
  
Another Edition of Other Shit I Don't Own:   
  
Cheesie Poofs is a trademark of South Park  
  
Holiday Inns *heh... I always place my steamy chapters in them though... Read "Sex Sells" by David Love. Hope this doesn't bother the world-wide hotel chain*  
  
"Jaded" by Aerosmith and "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" Corey Heart  
  
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"Do we kick ass or what?" Bakura. He was on a high from performing and shook the noiseless tambourine as the band made its way to the green room.   
  
"I would have to agree with you, my friend. We are the greatest!" Malik threw his remaining drum stick in the air. Earlier in the show, he'd tossed his left stick into the audience and a girl snatched it in mid-air. She had cackled malevolently and screamed,   
  
"I LOVE YOU MALIK!!!!"   
  
Malik, needless to say, had used this to expand his already inflated ego.   
  
"Yeah, man, we are the best!" Joey had a goofy grin plastered over his face and he wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
  
"We are the best..." Kaiba grinned and then shot a look at the others. "...Thanks to me!"   
  
"Yeah, right!" "Shut up, ya rich bastard!" "He thinks he's fucking Jimmy Page!" "Who's fucking Jimmy Page?"   
  
Yami laughed quietly under his breath. He was sure Jimmy Page would love this colorful conversation. With the other members of the band still arguing, Yami opened the door to the green room and slipped inside.   
  
************  
  
The band left the green room in complete disaster. They never meant to; it just happened that way. Maybe if Seto hadn't raided Joey's private mini-fridge, or if Bakura hadn't poured Malik's tequila into the shag to see if it would disappear into the soft, carpety fuzz. And most of them agreed that Yami didn't HAVE to break the creepy dog statue in the corner of the room, but said Yami argued that it was self-defense.   
  
They began the trek to the tour bus when they heard someone calling them.   
  
"Boys! Boys! GODDAMNIT, TURN AROUND!"   
  
All of them groaned and turned to face their manager, Tea Gardener. Oh, why in the name of Cheesie Poofs had they allowed her to take on this job?! She made everything a living hell, refused to let them play some songs because of the content (but they played them anyway ~_^) and never, under ANY circumstances, was a girl allowed in one of their hotel rooms. It was figured that this rule was enforced because Tea was boiling bunnies over Yami and so the other guys always blamed him for their misfortune. Yami said it wasn't his fault that Tea worshiped him, but sooner or later she'd have to realize that her friendship rants and control-freak personality were NOT turn-ons.   
  
"Why the hell don't you stop when I'm talking to you?" She tapped her Passion Pink fingernails on her crossed arms and constantly flipped her shaggy bob.   
  
"Sorry, Tea," Seto bowed as if to show his remorse. "But you always told us never talk to strangers or skanks."   
  
"Funny..." Tea ran her teeth over her tongue as the others snickered. "Now, get your million-dollar-asses on the bus. We're staying in a Holiday Inn off I-54... Hope you brought your own shampoo..."  
  
************  
  
"Hey J-J-Jaded   
  
You got your mama's style   
  
But you're yesterday's child to me   
  
So jaded   
  
You think that's where it's at but is that where it's supposed to be   
  
You're gettin' it all over me   
  
X - rated"  
  
Seto wailed on air guitar and sang along with the radio which was just a little off station. Joey ate a Mallowmar while playing Galaga against Malik. Bakura played chess with himself and every time the bus turned the pieces scattered to the floor. Yami sat in the makeshift booth and rolled a marble across the table. Seto turned to look at him.   
  
"Is there something wrong with you?"   
  
Yami sighed and a grin stretched across his face. "There was this girl in the audience..."   
  
"Ah... yeah..." Seto crossed his long legs over the seat and leaned back on his arms. "Brunette. Nice-looking. Black trench. Fedora."   
  
Yami looked up. "Yeah."  
  
"Yeah..." Seto nodded. "Saw you checkin' her out. Looked like it would have been fun."   
  
"Yeah..." said Yami.  
  
"Yeah..." said Seto.  
  
//Hey, J-J-Jaded// said Steven Tyler.   
  
"Don't get too obsessed over it, Yami..." Seto turned to lock eyes with the silent boy at his right. "She's just some chick. There'll be plenty of Fedora Girls."   
  
"Yeah, but she never took her eyes off me. Not once." Yami smiled as he rolled the marble over the table again. "She seemed... kind of different. Plus, I could see great sex."   
  
"Can't we all..." sighed Seto. "Too bad."   
  
"Yeah," said Yami. "Too bad..."   
  
//There aint no baby please when I'm shooting the breeze with her...//  
  
"Don't worry..." grinned Seto. "You can always sleep with Tea." Yami threw the marble at Seto and it hit him square between the eyes.  
  
//You're so jaded... cause I'm the one that jaded you...//  
  
************  
  
They unloaded from the bus and Tea walked into the lobby, her too-high heels clicking on the linoleum.   
  
"Hello. We have two rooms reserved."   
  
The guys groaned again. She'd stuck them all in one room... again... and she had her own private room... again...   
  
"Selfish bitch..." Malik muttered.   
  
"Ah, here we are!" The desk clerk was peppy and she was wearing too much lipstick for her tiny mouth. Her hair was flipped back in a feathery wave. Tea took the keys from her and gave a half-smile of disgust before pushing her sunglasses over the bridge of her nose. As they walked away, Malik tried to score a date but he was yanked off in the opposite direction by Bakura.   
  
"C'mon, Malik... You don't want to date a girl with Ferra hair..."   
  
Tea let her sunglasses fall over the bridge of her nose as she looked for their room. Yami asked her why she was even wearing them, seeing as it was about two in the morning and darkness defeated the purpose of sunglasses.   
  
"I wear my sunglasses at night..." Kaiba crooned mockingly.  
  
"You're gonna bump into something..." Joey keenly observed.   
  
"Bite me." Tea opened their room and turned to look at them. "Now, go to bed, get some rest, and ABSOLUTE-"   
  
"-LY NO GIRLS! NO EXCEPTIONS!" The others finished monotonously.   
  
"Right." Tea nodded and waved them off. "Sleep tight, boys..."   
  
Pushing and shoving, the five guys tried to get into their room to see if the fridge had any liquor.   
  
"I CALL THE TEQUILA!"   
  
"I CALL THE SCOTCH!"   
  
"I CALL THE STRAWBERRY-KIWI WINE COOLERS!" Everyone stared at Joey.   
  
"I CALL- HOLY SHIT!"   
  
"What?" Seto finally squeezed through the door and turned to face Yami.   
  
"Holy shit!" Yami said again.  
  
Kaiba followed his gaze. "Holy shit!"   
  
"Holy shit!" They repeated at the same time.   
  
"Holy shit?" Everyone started at Bakura. The snow-haired tomb robber shrugged. "It was for good measure."   
  
Fedora Girl was standing at a door all the way at the other end of the hall. She and some friends were laughing as she attempted to push open the door. Yami's jaw fell open.   
  
"Fedora Girl returns." Seto crossed his arms, finding all of this too delicious. "But too bad, cause you can't bring her to your room anyway."   
  
Yami turned back around to face the others. "If you all get lost for the rest of the night, I'll buy the booze for a month." Cheers erupted from the others.   
  
"Make mine tequila!"   
  
"Make mine scotch!"   
  
"Whatever! Just get the hell out of here!"   
  
************  
  
"It's stuck..." The girl pushed on the door again. "Alright, I'm gonna have to kick it in."   
  
Her friends laughed. "Can you do that?"   
  
"Of course. It's simple. You just--" She took a few steps back and lifted her foot. But no sooner had she begun to kick then a guy in a black trench coat hit the door with the side of his fist and it swung open easily.   
  
"Hey I know you!" One of the other girls cried. "You're the guy from that band."   
  
"That I am." Yami crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Fedora Girl. "Impressed?"   
  
"Maybe..." She shrugged as her friends slipped into the room. She turned to follow them but Yami reached out and grabbed her arm, a shower of sparks flying through the air.   
  
"Would you like to check out my room? It's got a great view..."   
  
She smiled a little and took his arm. "Only if you buy my booze for a month..."   
  
He was speechless, but if she noticed, he couldn't tell.  
  
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Me: So how was the second chapter? Good? Bad? Weird? Completely OCC or AU? Tell me in a review, people! The button's right below this Author's Note! Ciao, and rock on! 


	3. Mother's Aunt's Cousin's Sister

Me: ALRIGHT! Nobody likes this fanfic but it's the one I like the most. So screw! I'm gonna write more just for my own sick enjoyment and hope that sooner or later SOMEBODY comes along who's half-way interested in it... BTW, Cammie, thanks for being the only person who really reads this.  
  
DISCLAIMER: You don't have to ask, do you? Don't you already know?  
  
And, yes, it wouldn't be this extremely apathetic and pathetic fic if I didn't have ANOTHER edition of:  
  
OTHER SHIT I DON'T OWN!!!!  
  
The "Good morning, Starshine" song... (which is actually something I don't mind too much -_-;;)  
  
Green Day... Though I wish I did *sniffs*  
  
Me: So enjoy. Or maybe I should just be talking to myself, since nobody reads this...  
  
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"GOOD MORNING STARSHINE!!! THE EARTH SAYS--'WAKE UP DAMNIT!!!'"  
  
"AH!" Yami was jolted from a fairly peaceful sleep and fell promptly off the bed he had been reclining on just moments before. "What the hell is WRONG with you?!"  
  
Joey, Malik, Bakura, and Kaiba stared back at him, wide grins all spread across their sexy-bishi faces. Yami's eyes opened fully and the brain returned to his head.  
  
"Uh, guys--"  
  
"SO WHAT HAPPENED?!" "DID JA--?" "DID SHE--?" "WHERE'S MY BOOZE?!"  
  
"Holy shit..." Yami moaned as he dragged himself back into the recesses of the downy covers.  
  
"Alright, alright, everybody! Stand back! Let the man breathe!-- "  
  
//Kaiba.// Yami mused. //Always the voice of reason...//  
  
Suddenly, his trench coat-clad foe yanked him out of the soft, velvety covers and shook him from side to side.  
  
"C'MON, YAMI! SPILL! WHAT HAPPENED?! TELL US RIGHT NOW!!!!"  
  
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, SETO!--Keep your radamned pants on... for all our sakes..." Yami's eyes attempted to focus and he tried to rewind his memories to those of "last night". Okay... there'd been a lot of liquor... a LOT of liquor times twelve... and they'd talked... She'd pointed out some of the stars to him and he'd played some Green Day for her. (So they were a little Emo; so shoot him...) It had been pretty romantic. And then they'd collapsed on the bed, laughing at how completely idiotic David Letterman really was... And then...  
  
"And then WHAT?!" This seemed to be a collective question that told Yami he'd been speaking aloud.  
  
"And then... we fell asleep. We talked all night...and then we fell asleep."  
  
There was a pause. In the extreme silence, a noise was heard from the bathroom: the unmistakable sound of a shower running. As if on a soap opera, the four standing musicians turned toward the bathroom door when they heard the spray of water end abruptly. Yami struggled to sit up.  
  
Fedora girl (naturally without said fedora...) stepped out into the hotel room, water still falling from her hair onto the greenish-blue carpet. She wore a fuzzy hotel robe the color of snow, almost blending with her perfectly fair skin. She blinked, not expecting too see all of these men in spandex gawking at her, but she soon recovered from the shock. She turned away to look at Yami, as if none of them were even there.  
  
"Needed to use the shower... Hope that's okay."  
  
"Sure..." Yami tried to get up but he remembered the drinking of last night and the fact that his head had fallen off somewhere during the interrogation so, instead, leaned back against the headboard, groaning.  
  
"Hang on." She smiled at him and turned toward the minifridge. "Best hang- over cure is more of the drug. 'Flea of the dog that bit you...'"  
  
Yami smiled as she handed him a scotch on the rocks. "I didn't know people still used that old saying..."  
  
"Hey, Yeah-mah..." Joey was waving his hands in the air, attempting to attract Yami's attention. Yami reluctantly turned away from Fedora Girl with a sigh, and said through clenched teeth,  
  
"What?"  
  
The blonde shrugged. "Oh, I dunno... Why don't 'cha introduce us or somethin'? After all, it's not like we CARE what her name is or anything..."  
  
She smiled warmly at Joey, pulling her robe tighter around her neck by nervous habit. She reached out to shake his hand.  
  
"You must be Joey Wheeler... Yami's told me all about you guys. I'm--"  
  
"--Ari."  
  
Four very confused pairs of eyes turned on Kaiba. He continued to stare at Ari, who's eyes stayed glued to the carpet. Yami cleared his throat and looked from his bassist to his fedora girl.  
  
"Did I mention a name when I was hung-over?" If anything, the former pharaoh was definitely sober now.  
  
"No..." Kaiba said in monotone.  
  
"We just go way back, that's all..." Fedora Girl to the rescue. Ari lifted her eyes from the carpet and locked them with Seto's. The look was not harsh but almost tapped into him. One could almost see the energy running between the two of them. Suddenly, her lips turned up in a nostalgic smile.  
  
"Hello, Seto..." She mused faintly.  
  
Pause. "YOU CALL HIM SETO!?!?!? My, you go way back IN-DEED!" Bakura. Never knowing the meaning of an uncomfortable silence or shame.  
  
Ari smiled and spoke to the snow-haired tomb robber but didn't take her eyes off of Seto. "I guess you're Bakura... It's wonderful to meet you all. Yami has said so much--"  
  
"Ari." Seto interrupted her again. He said her name a second time, as if to confirm it. "Ari."  
  
"Seto."  
  
"Would one of you like to explain how you know each other so VERY well?" Yami was getting a little irritated by the way Kaiba was watching her. They knew each other alright... Kaiba's eyes continued to survey her body and Yami wondered if he was already familiar with what lay under the complementary robe...  
  
"A distant relative..." Kaiba answered this coolly. Ari had opened her mouth as well, but began to nod after he spoke for them. Finally she tore her gaze from Kaiba's, even though the young billionaire seemed entranced still.  
  
"I'm his mother's..."  
  
"Aunt's..." Kaiba threw in.  
  
"Cousin's..."  
  
"Sister." They seemed satisfied with this. Yami was too confused to know if he was or not.  
  
BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound of dropping bombs interrupted this touching scene.  
  
"Holy shit! It's World War III!!!" Ari threw her hands over her head to shield herself from plaster falling from the ceiling.  
  
"No..." The others moaned. "Tea's wake-up call..."  
  
"GET UP! GET UP NOW! DON'T MAKE ME GET THE MAID! SHE HAS THE KEY YOU KNOW! OH, HERE SHE COMES! I'M GONNA GET HER--!"  
  
"For the love of Ra..." Yami turned to Ari. "You have to hide. Our manager is kind of--"  
  
"INSANE!" cried Malik before he crawled underneath an end table.  
  
"No problem..." Ari pointed to the bathroom and dashed inside. Yami managed to arrange everyone in a fairly inconspicuous fashion and unlocked the door for Tea, who was tapping her Payless Size 10 ½ Carmel boot on the floor.  
  
"C'mon in, Tea... We just finished getting ready."  
  
Tea stepped inside and surveyed the room. Joey sat in front of the TV, seeming to be thoroughly enjoying C-SPAN. Malik was eating a zucchini muffin and reading the newspaper to himself at the make-shift table. Kaiba was sprawled out on the bed in deep concentration (he had been the only one Yami couldn't move...). And Bakura sat at the vanity reading the Bible upside-down. Tea nodded and tapped her finger on the strap of her purse.  
  
"There's something going on here... I don't know what it is... And I don't want to know what it is..." Suddenly her neck craned over Yami's head and she sniffed. And then she sniffed again.  
  
"Do I smell perfume?" She sniffed again. "CHANEL PERFUME?"  
  
"Damn, she's good," mumbled Bakura who was still pretending to read.  
  
"That'd be me..." Malik raised his hand and Tea raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Uh... Yeah, well... It's such a nice smell. And chicks dig it cause, you know, they're always, like... wearing it?"  
  
"Right." Tea nodded and the others sighed with relief. "Now, c'mon. We need to get on the bus now if we're going to make it to Orlando by seven..."  
  
"Orlando..." Everyone groaned.  
  
"Shut up. This could be our big break. They discovered the Backstreet Boys and they're from Orlando. Look how many girls wanted them to rock their worlds..."  
  
"Yeah, and that was five yeahs ago!" Joey protested.  
  
"I don't care. Now get your asses out of this hotel room and on the bus!" She clicked away, muttering obscenities.  
  
"Mighty Ra, who does she think she is?!" Bakura chucked the Bible out the open window.  
  
"Yeah! 'OUR big break'?! What, she doesn't realize that we're gonna drop her as soon as we can get someone with half a brain to represent us?" Joey turned off the TV and put on his jacket.  
  
"Uh... yo? Can I come out now?" Ari scratched at the door like a kitten trapped in a room alone. Yami went over and opened it for her, smiling. As the other guys packed, sneaking as much soap, shampoo and booze into their bags that was humanly possible, Yami took Ari aside as she was putting on her fedora (having dressed in the closet)...  
  
"Hey, Ari... Do you want to come with us? Tea can't object to just having you in the bus. We're doing a show in Orlando and then we're going to stay down there on a little vacation. What do you say?"  
  
"Isn't this committing quite fast?" Ari raised and eyebrow.  
  
"A little, I'll admit but..." Yami checked to make sure no one was listening before leaning towards her. "Last night was... great. We have so much in common and I'd like to get to know you better. A lot better..." He ran his fingers softly over her arm and then locked eyes with her. "You don't have to come but... I'd consider it an honor to have you... Besides, didn't you honestly have a wonderful time too?"  
  
She sighed. "Yeah, I did... Alright, Yami, I'll go..."  
  
"I'm glad." He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. With quite a bit of expertise, he leaned down towards her.  
  
"--Are ya gonna kiss me?" She whispered just before their lips met.  
  
"I was thinking about it..." They both laughed nervously, but as soon as he began again, they heard Bakura scream,  
  
"YOU GUYS, WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!" He was running from the bathroom which was rapidly filling with water. Lugging the toilet along in his bag, his eyes were wild with the thrill of theft.  
  
"LETS GO, COME ON!"  
  
"Later, then I guess..." Yami sighed, the annoyance in his voice quite obvious.  
  
"Yeah, I guess..." She leaned up and bit his lip playfully, then slipped out of his arms.  
  
Yami held back his urge to tackle her then and there. He lifted his bag over his shoulder as the others scrambled through the door, chasing a madly cackling Yami Bakura. //Well// Yami thought as he ran to catch up with them. //This'll be one hell of a ride...//  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Me: If you read it, I sincerely would like to thank you and hope you liked it... Ciao and rock on. 


	4. Hey Jealousy Indeed

Me: *heh/sigh* Yeah... I'm not gonna rant at you right now, promise. I'm actually just too lazy to.   
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! How could I? I'm dead-ass broke...  
  
And where would all of you be without the voluminous existence of:   
  
OTHER SHIT I DON'T OWN:   
  
Dr. Pepper! It makes the world taste better!--Actually they might thank me for the free product placement.  
  
"Hey Jealousy" the Gin Blossoms  
  
The Drinky Bird  
  
NOTE:   
  
The old adage is in fact actually... "Hair of the dog that bit you". "Hair of the dog" that bit me... *drinks a bloody mary* Yum! Aw, blame Tom. He's the one who gets me drunk enough to write these god-awful fanfics...  
  
Me: So have fun.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! BUT IT'S UNACCEPTABLE! COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! I CANNOT PERMITT YOU TO INVITE SOME FLOOZIE YOU MET AT THE PIANO BAR ON THE BUS! NO DICE, YAMI!"   
  
Ari scuffed her shoe on the asphalt as she listened from outside the tour bus. Yami had told her to wait outside so he could talk to Tea privately but Tea's side of the conversation seemed pretty public to her. She sighed. Maybe this manager chick was right in her accusation. Ari wasn't exactly a "good little girl" but she'd never done anything like this before. But she and Yami were being forced to end their relationship before there even was one. All she'd gotten out of him was kind of a "lip nip" and well... She wanted more. Laughing silently to herself as the chill, November breeze blew back her auburn hair, she decided that she didn't care what anyone thought. She did want to go with them... and she'd tie herself to the tailpipe if she had to...  
  
"Ari..." Two arms wrapped around her waist from behind and someone buried his head in her hair. She jumped, for a split second thinking it was Yami, but she knew this man's breath, his voice, his hands all too well...   
  
"Radamnit, Seto..." She mused softly.   
  
"Ari, don't say anything... If you say something, it'll ruin the silence." He bent his head lower to rest on her shoulder and his fingers explored the nape of her neck.   
  
"Seto, stop..." She tried to pull away but his lips had made contact to her skin and her breath caught in her throat. Finally growing a brain, she maneuvered out of his grip and looked him in the eye.   
  
"I told you to stop..."   
  
He laughed a little and stuck his hands in his pockets, running his shoe over the white line defining their parking space. If one hadn't known Seto, he would have looked like a little kid, all dressed up like a rock star even though he was more comfortable in jeans and sneakers. Ari did know him... and in this moment, that all seemed sort of true.   
  
"Babe, listen..."   
  
"Don't call me that."   
  
"Alright, Ari... Look I have to talk to you. I haven't seen you in years. And when Yami had been looking at you, at the concert, in the hallway of the hotel... it'd all been so dark and I couldn't really see your face. But that damned fedora... I should have known--"  
  
"Seto, why did you lie to them? A distant relative? Mother's aunt's... I can't even remember what the hell it was..."   
  
"Well, what would you rather I did? Tell the truth?"   
  
She crossed her arms and said, cool as the biting wind. "For once..."   
  
"Ouch."   
  
"Well..."   
  
"Listen, we need to talk about this... About us."   
  
"Us!" She laughed and shook her head. "Us... Seto, there hasn't been an 'us' in six years. Suddenly, you spot me across Yami's hotel room--"   
  
"--In one of those robes, Ari! You know how I always wanted to jump you when you were wearing one of those robes. And don't call him Yami like that. It sounds so casual... like you guys..." He trailed off and kicked what appeared to be a crushed Diet Dr. Pepper can at Ari's feet.  
  
"Like we what? Like we're...'intimate'?" She said this in a deepened, sensual voice and kicked the Dr. Pepper can back at him.   
  
"Don't say it like that... I've known him a lot longer then you have and... well, I know what the guy's capable of and I don't want to see you mixed up with someone like him..." He passed the can, even though he sounded as if he wanted to say more.   
  
"Oh... So you're saying it's worse then what, say, you did to me...? Maybe he should get a life sentence..." Ari kicked so hard the can sailed into the air and Seto reached up and caught it, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"Double ouch." He dropped the crumbled can to the ground and it seemed greatful that the whole frightening ordeal was over.   
  
"Listen..." She jammed her hands in her pockets to brace the cold and looked up into his icy-blue eyes. Those eyes didn't scare her anymore because her jade eyes had grown a little frosty too.   
  
"I don't know what you think is going to happen here. I want to come with you because I like Yami. I'm sorry that you don't find that to be a good thing... But I do. He's really sweet once you get to know him." She started to walk past him toward the bus.   
  
"I know!" He called after her and she stopped. "I got to know him... well, actually... 'Intimately'..." He used her choice of word to mock her.   
  
She laughed a little to herself. "And you don't still--?"   
  
"No." He said firmly, lightning now crashing in his eyes, cracking the ice. She remembered the lightning. "I don't want him. I want you."   
  
She sighed. "Six years ago, that would have really got me crazy over you..."   
  
"And now?"  
  
"Now... I only want to tell you that six years is a long time."   
  
Suddenly, the door to the door to the bus opened. Bakura's grin was set and he lifted Ari off the ground and spun her in a circle.   
  
"It's a go! Yami finally convinced that bitch that another female on the bus will do everyone some good."   
  
"How is that?" Seto snorted.   
  
"Aw, he told her that if he ever needs a date and he can't get one, he'd ask her..." Bakura's chocolate eyes then locked with Ari's. "But I've never seen the man without a girl on his arm before..."   
  
Ari blinked. Seto gave her a very un-subtle "I-told-you-so" look. Bakura grinned.   
  
"Is this a mother's, cousin's, sister's, friend-of-a-friend's reunion?"   
  
"Yeah..." Ari mumbled, shooting Seto a glance. "But we're all caught up now. Where's Yami?" Bakura led her inside as Seto numbly followed suit.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Joey played Ms. Pac-Man while Malik and Bakura seemed to be engaged in a staring contest. Tea tapped her fingernails on her notebook, pretending to be checking the money balance. Of course, every time she looked up and saw Ari and Yami talking, Ari and Yami laughing, Ari and Yami whispering about something, she lost count. Finally, she threw her notebook at Kaiba, grumbling that if HE was so smart, then HE should do the finances! Kaiba shrugged (seeing as he hadn't even said anything) and picked up the notebook. Led Zepplin was playing on his headphones, but he turned them off and blasted the volume of his Gin Blossoms CD. Seto loathed the radio.   
  
//Tell me do ya think it'd be alright   
  
If I could just crash here tonight  
  
You can see I'm in no shape for driving  
  
And anyway, I've got no place to go//  
  
The young billionaire and make-shift accountant sighed, figuring numbering with lightning speed even though his mind was on the lyrics of the cryptically accurate song and the hand Yami had resting on Ari's shoulder. He didn't care what she thought; he'd never meant to do what he did. It was only an accident. But he still wanted her. With unwavering concentration, he watched her crossed her slender legs under the table as Yami run his fingers softly over her neck. Fuck it if she thought Seto was bad. Once Yami got through with her, she'd want to die. That's where he could come back in. He could act like he hadn't thought about Ari since she disappeared into the rain that September night, six years ago... But the truth is he had. She haunted his dreams at night and when he sang about remorse, he always felt her the smallest bit in his performance. He just hadn't noticed any of this until now.   
  
//And ya know it might not be that bad  
  
You were the best I've ever had  
  
If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago  
  
I might not be alone//  
  
Bakura was screaming something at him but all he could hear was the musical interlude of "Hey Jealousy". He pulled off his headphones and asked,   
  
"Come again?"   
  
"You seem to be pretty interested in that Ari girl..." He sat next to Kaiba, and eyed him suspiciously. "For a neighbor's aunt's dog-walker..."   
  
"No, she's my cousin's sister's... mother's?" Kaiba groped for an answer.   
  
"Sure..." Bakura nodded, not convinced. "You do have a quite attractive family member, Kaiba..."   
  
"Yes..." Kaiba sighed, and cleared his throat to stifle a groan. "Anyway, I'm working here Bakura."   
  
"Yes, right..." Bakura stood and looked down at Kaiba through his mess of snowy locks. "But you don't want her to be with Yami..."   
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Not really, but you know how Yami is--I want to look out for her."   
  
"Mm-hm..." Bakura tapped the drinking bird sitting on the mircowave and it dunked its head into a glass of water.   
  
"She's just so... young... and... beautiful and..." Kaiba's voice almost cracked when he whispered. "And I want--" He looked up at Bakura blinking. "I mean..."   
  
"Freudian slip..." Bakura nodded before Kaiba could protest. "How out of character for you to be lusting after your cousin..."   
  
Kaiba would have agreed but he glared up at Bakura instead and hissed, "Just go away. I'm not lusting after anybody."   
  
"Sure..." Bakura laughed to himself and before walking away gave the little bird another tap. It fell off the microwave and onto Kaiba's head. Kaiba just grunted and put his headphones back on.   
  
//Tomorrow we can drive around this town  
  
And let the cops chase us around   
  
The past is gone but something might be found   
  
To take its place...  
  
Hey Jealousy//  
  
Seto moaned in a lament for his sad and sorry life. As he watched Yami smile seductively at Ari and crimson color that stained her cheeks, his lip turned up in disgust. "Hey Jealousy" indeed...Perhaps he'd found his new song to sing lead vocals for.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Me: Okay, well, if you're reading this, please review... 


	5. Groupies and Girlfriends

Me: ::laughs, having finally snapped:: I don't CARE if anyone likes this fic or not! Because I have ELEVEN REVIEWS!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! ELEVEN, ELEVEN DO YOU HEAR?! AHAHAHAHA ::collapses in a messy heap on the floor::

Amanda B. (the janitor): ::comes in and cleans Me up, grumbling about minimum wage and toe jam::

Me: ::blegh...:: Sorry. Only two more days left of school... Anyway, ya'll enjoy this chapter, whilst I screw my head back on...

DISCLAIMER: ::checks records:: No... No, I believe I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! today... But I own KaibaCorp! Yeah, that's right!!

Seto: ::is indifferent to that remark::

Aaaaaaaaand... It's AMAZING! It's EXCITING! IT'S--

OTHER SHIT I DON'T OWN:

"Fire" by Bruce Springsteen (If you like Buffy, download the version by James Marster's (Spike's) band, Ghost of the Robot)...  
Heh, I am shamelessly plugging...

"I look to like if looking-liking move" is a line from Romeo and Juliet. Damn you, Shakespeare!

"Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel

"Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra

Joey's boa

Me: So please... R&R...

CHAPTER 5

"Everyone!!! Everyone!!! Joey, turn off that Godforsaken Ms. Pac-Man! Kaiba, return to Earth! Malik, Bakura... I don't even want to know what you're doing, just stop it!! Yami... New Girl, shut the hell up!" The Tea had spoken. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest with a very frightening glare set on her brow. "Get your asses on stage. You have exactly twenty   
minutes to rehearse!"

"..........Shit!" The guys scrambled out the doors of the bus followed by Ari and Tea.

"Drivin' in your car

Turn on the radio

You're pullin' me closer

Just say no

I say I don't like it

But you know I'm a liar

Cause when we kiss.... ohhhh fire..."

Ari's eyes lit up as she watched the show, this time from a much better seat. She stood, backstage next to Tea in the wings. She could hardly contain her excitement when the band started playing one of her favorite songs. Yami closed his eyes and leaned into the mike, his voice like kissing in the rain. She watched his fingers trip expertly over the guitar strings. She loved his hands. The long fingers, large palms... How could she not? Every time he touched her with those hands, she felt like a firecracker after someone had lit the fuse.

"See anything you like?"

Ari looked to her right and saw Tea leaning against the speaker. Her eyelashes were weighed down with blue mascara but that didn't seem to stop her from making Yami her eye candy.

"'I look to like if looking-liking move...'" Ari quoted and then looked back over at him. "And, oh, how it does..."

"Mmm." Tea nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean.... See," She then leaned in, as if she had a secret. "though you wouldn't know it by how respectable I am now, being the manager and all, I used to be a little groupie just like you."

"Excuse me?" Ari's ear had popped. The music was too loud. This woman did NOT just say...

"Well, come on... Who are we kidding?" Tea shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "You're hitching a ride with a tour bus, weaseling your way into free concerts, and I'm sure, THEY'RE sure, you'll wind up doing most of them... if not all..."

"You're just trying to piss me off... I get it..." Ari tossed her head in the direction of Yami. "You want him. So you want ME togo..."

"Oh, no, Honey..." Tea's eyes darkened as she stood up straight. "I just don't have a tolerance for groupies around MY band... I've paid my dues and now that I'M in charge, I don't want people like you around my boys... So I suggest you get out...   
before you do something to piss ME off..."

Ari's eyes narrowed and Tea smiled at the cheers of the audience before slipping out of the wings and under the lights. As she thanked the audience, reminded them of the band's name, and told them where they could purchase a CD, she hung onto Yami like a Gila monster and he could not have escaped if he'd tried. The girl in the now-infamous fedora crossed her arms   
and sighed. That bitch...

"Ari..." Yami placed his hand on Ari's shoulder. She'd been thinking, trying to connect everything so that it made sense. But once she put two and two together, she damned herself for getting sixty-seven.

"Hey... Yami... You guys were great tonight. The Bruce tune was the best."

"Thanks." He reached over and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead with extreme care. Then his eyes fell slowly to lock with hers as a nonchalant arm snaked around her waist. She could have died. Her knees were weak and she felt as if she'd   
fallen completely head over heels.

That bastard...thought Seto Kaiba. He leaned against the cracked wall adjacent to the green room. He's using all the same things on her. She doesn't realize that all his expertise is a bad thing. That bastard...

"Alright, everyone! We've got a hotel to get to!" Tea was collecting the musicians as she clicked down the hallway. "And remember, you guys have got a week off. Congratulations. You've earned it."

Cheers erupted from the band. Yami looked down at Ari and smiled. "Guess you and I have a whole week to ourselves."

Playfully, he questioned, "So, what do you want to do first?"

_Later..._

The band checked into their hotel (another Holiday Inn, and no surprise there) and decided to hit the bar (again... not much of a surprise). There was much merriment and Bakura, who was in especially high spirits, did a remarkable dance to Frank Sinatra's "Witchcraft" which involved a bottle of whiskey and a feather boa.

Later, everyone stumbled back upstairs for some drinks (the bar had closed) and Malik found an old, transistor radio in a drawer.

"Cei-li-a!

You're breakin' my heart

You're shakin' my con-fi-dence, ba-by!"

Joey then began to sing in a feminine but not-quite-female voice, reminding the others of a silver-haired man they all knew and loathed. The hammered musicians all cracked up and Ari didn't exactly understand but laughed anyway because who doesn't love a drunk Joey? Bakura found the booze and there was much rejoicing.

"Makin' love-- in the af-ter-noon

With Ce-ci-lia-- Up in by bed-room

I got up to wash-my-face

When I come back to bed, someone's takin my place!"

"Exceptionally good song about afternoon sex," nodded Malik, who took a swig of Jack Daniels and then passed it on.

"That's not what the song's ABOUT, you lummox!" Seto rolled his eyes. Malik grinned, loving to piss off the great Seto Kaiba.

"I knew a girl once who used to LOVE this song..." Bakura slurred, snatching the bottle. "SHE liked sex in the afternoon too... Then, one day... she left me... for some FOP that worked in her office--" He leaned on Ari's shoulder and looked up into her eyes. "You could say it's the story of my life..." He snickered light-heartedly a little before his voice went stony and bitter, "I   
HATE THAT SONG..."

Ari made an empathy noise by clicking her tongue and going, "Aw...", which was much appreciated by Bakura.

"I used to know a girl who loved that song too." This, to everyone's surprise, came from Seto who was leaning against the wall, the bottle tipped on his knee now only a small amount of liquid left. "She was... great. We used to stay in... all the time.--"

The girl in the fedora looked up at him, a harsh warning in her suddenly icy-green eyes. But Seto continued, "It was perfect, you know?" His eyes caught hers and Yami noticed the electricity that flew between them. Heat. Passion. The lead singer and guitarist was not amused. Cousin's brother's sister-in-law his ass...

"She was funny... and sexy... And whenever I hear that song I think of how we used to lie in bed and listen to the radio... and--" He smiled, pretending to conceal the phrase "have lots of sex", though not trying very hard to. Ari swallowed and watched him quietly, as if begging him not to go on.

"Yeah?" Malik raised an eyebrow and snatched up the Jack Daniels. "So what happened to her? She dump you for some rich, pompous bastard? Oh, no, wait... That doesn't make sense, cause then she'd be dumping you for you!"

There was mild laughter from the drunk Malik, Joey and Bakura who didn't see what was going on behind Seto's tale. Ari's eyes glued to the floor. Yami set his jaw. Seto glared and said haughtily,

"Well, if you really have to know what happened--" Ari's eyes snapped up to lock with his, as if asking one final time to please not say any more. But as Seto's lips parted in speech and Yami prepared to punch the CEO for anything he might say next,   
there was a knock at the door.

Bakura called, "You'll have to come back laaa-terr, we're doing the diii-shesss!" but the door opened anyway and Tea stood glowering at the smashed bishis before her.

"Ig! This place reeks of booze!" Her nose wrinkled and she pointed at Ari. "C'mon, hon, you've got your own room."

"But--"

"No, BUTS, Yami!" Her eyes were flaming and everyone was taken aback. "Now, c'mon, get your shit and vamoose!"

Ari's eyes narrowed and she began to give Tea a bit of advice but the brunette girl in the doorway raised an eyebrow saying, "I mean, you wouldn't really want to STAY here with ALL of the guys would you? No offense but... what would that say   
about you."

Ari pulled her fedora over her forehead and looked guiltily at the floor. She didn't want to be a groupie or a slut. She was just here because she liked Yami and she didn't want it to turn into... Ari bit her lower lip and grabbed her bag.

"I'll see you guys in the morning," She muttered. It wasn't that she didn't trust the others... but she'd never done anything like this before. No, it would be better if she slept in her own room.

After the door had shut and the population of the room had become solely male, Bakura sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Tea's a bitch," seemed to be all he had to say and all anyone else needed to hear.

"Sorry, Yami" Seto seemed to be the only one who wasn't offended by Tea's groupie remark on Ari. Actually, he was rather glad that she wasn't anywhere near Yami during the hours they would be... "sleeping". "Guess you'll have to catch up with her in the morning."

"Yeah... Sorry mate." shrugged Bakura.

"Sorry?" Yami's eyebrow raised and a cocky grin slowly spread across his features. "Don't be sorry... All we have to do is get over to Ari's room without Tea knowing about it!"

There was a cheer from everyone except Seto. Suddenly, the bassist seemed to have a headache...

"How are we gonna do that, Yeah-mah?" Joey asked.

Yami grinned again and deepened his voice for an extra cool-guy affect.

"By any means necessary of course..."

_AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Right, ok, well, not a great chapter, but it needed an update Rock on, my non-existent readers. Oh, but yeah! Thanks to Amarin Rose, BlueEyesjammys15, Kimmy Nagasaki:Queen of Games, and Lady Shriannan Santrea. I'm happy you guys think it's good so yay! Oh, and blame the suckiness on the new Document Manager lay-out ::hates it::


	6. Stages and Kissage

Me: I DO have twenty reviews! It just... it CAN'T be POSSIBLE! Not for THIS story! O.o ::iz in shock:: Well, let me say some stuff to my reviewers XD ::tee hee... I have reviewers for this story::  
  
BlueAngel0104- Thanks so much for your review and I'm glad you like the story. I'm really enjoying reading "The Underdogs" and I hope you keep it up. (And if anyone's wondering, "The Underdogs" is on under BlueAngel0104. Go read it.) Anyway, thanks again and keep writing!  
  
Liviania- Ooo, mysterious! Thanks XD  
  
Lady Shriannan Santrea- Shri! You know Cecilia? Yay I just love that song. Yes, I knew you'd enjoy the part with Bakura's dance, as did I enjoy getting the idea for it :3 And Tea is a bitch.  
  
Ajax O'Brien- Thanks for what you said about it getting better with each chapter. That's all I can hope for. XD And Tea IS a bitch.  
  
Mr. Towel- Who are you? O.O Do you have an account of ? You've read so much of my stuff, I want to read some of yours too. Anyway, thanks for all your reviews and yes, I shall continue writing this, hopefully O.o  
  
BlueEyesjammys15- Hmm... I used to wonder the same thing about loving Yami more than Seto myself but ::shrug:: I guess it's about taste in bishis. Both are acceptable though in my humble opinion XD Thanks for your review  
  
Amarin Rose- I am getting a little used to the Quick Edit thing but sometimes it still outsmarts me... And yes, flooky is a good non-word. Thanks again for getting me to update and I'll try to do well in this chappie.  
  
Me: Well, I've survived the hurricane, most likely to bring you this. ::sigh/grin:: And last but certainly never least because I will get so sued it won't even be funny...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Don't cry for me, Raoul Pundi... I will someday ::plots::  
  
OTHER SHIT I DON'T OWN:

Fire- Bruce Springsteen (lyrics are the James Marsters version though )

_Say Anything_, John Cusack, _Fight Club_, _Cliffhanger_ or _Shawshank Redemption_

China

* * *

**The Cinema-Inspired Stages Leading to Sneaking into the Ari Not-a-Groupie's Hotel Room**  
  
Stage 1: Cliffhanger  
  
Yami looked up high above him, his jaw set, his painted eyes narrowed. This would work. Turning his head, he nodded sharply to Joey and Malik who held up the long string of sheets they'd nicked from the supply closet and tied together. The pharaoh stared up ten floors and held out his hand.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
Joey handed him the end of the sheet which would sufice as a climbing rope. From the ground, he would pull himself up the sheet until he reached the tenth floor and then drop to the balcony. Quietly, he would creep along the small railing and knock on the window. With luck, she would hear him and open the window to let him in, instigating much-anticipated kissage and make-out-ness. Yami squared his shoulders, took ahold of the sheet and prepared himself to--  
  
"Did any of you take the time to try and figure out what we're going to tie the sheet to so he can climb up?" Seto raised an eyebrow in question. Silence was his answer. He blew air from his lips, irritated, and walked away.  
  
Stage 2: The Fight Club Factor  
  
Bakura straightened his tie. "I look like a poof-tah in this, pharaoh..." he growled. "When we get up there, I'd better have some hot fedora girl action waiting for ME after all of this..." After Yami had punched him in the jaw and Bakura had uttered some personal remarks, Joey whispered,  
  
"Quiet, you guys. Now, are you ready, Yeah-mah?"  
  
Yami nodded and looked around him. Two of the room service staff lay on the floor unconcious in the large, silver kitchen, stripped to their undershirts and boxers. Yami squared his shoulders again and pulled at his own tie. If a white tuxedo was what the Holiday Inn called a waiter's uniform, he hoped he'd never have to see how their clean-up staff were dressed. Silently, he chose a silver cart (chicken Ceaser salad and a small iced tea) before nodding to Bakura and then again to Joey. The two rockers-turned-waiters sailed away with the cart as Joey and Malik served as look-outs and Kaiba sulked somewhere in the shadows.  
  
"Now which room is she in again? Did Tea say?" Bakura began to look anxiously down the hall, every once in a while clawing at his bowtie with malice.  
  
"Room 219." Yami kept looking. "I called the front desk and asked."  
  
"Ah." The tomb robber-slash-tamborine player turned the cart down a hallway and suddenly noticed a ravishing brunette waiting for an elevator. The sound of her Stilletto tapping softly on the lenolium led Bakura astray from Yami's path and he slid up behind the girl, grinning in a sort of frightening fashion.  
  
"Hello, Love... What's such a beautiful little bird like you doing here all alone?" The elevator opened and out stepped one very pissed off-looking, mafioso-type, gold chains and all.  
  
"EY! You talkin' to my sistuh?!"  
  
Bakura paused, thought better of the witty repartee that sat at the tip of his tongue, turned and bolted. Not like him at all but hey, he was a man with a mission, a fedora girl waiting, and JESUS CHRIST, the guy was HUGE!  
  
In the tomb robber's mad dash, he skidded down a hallway and rammed his stolen cart into Yami, who sailed forward onto his own cart and the two of them careened through another hall before smacking into a wall at the end.  
  
Kaiba stolled over to them. His eyebrow raised and upper lip curled in disgust. The bassist had been told by Malik and Joey to check on the other two and he had come up the stairs just in time to see the joyride and crashlanding.  
  
"...What a finish..."  
  
Stage 3: Shawshank Redemption Much?  
  
Yami dug his shovel into the brittle earth again before turning to wipe the sweat off of his forehead.  
  
"This might be harder than we thought..."  
  
The hole he'd dug into the dirt just beyond the hotel's swimming pool was only deep enough to fit about half of his leg through and maybe hardly even as wide. The other boys seemed to be having about the same luck. Until Bakura called out from inside his hole,  
  
"Have I hit China yet?! I-- I think I've hit China!"  
  
Malik called down to him, "Do you see Chinese people?"  
  
A pause. "No... But I see the septic tank."  
  
"Jesus Christ, get out of there!!!"  
  
Stage 4: John Cusack, eat your heart out!  
  
Yami strained slightly under the weight of the boom box. _He makes this look so damn easy..._ Finally, when he'd gotten it up high over his shoulders and felt comfortable about the level of sound, he looked up at her window and waited.  
  
_"Drivin' in your car  
  
Turn on the radio"_  
  
He bit his lower lip. The light was off. Had she already fallen asleep? He wasn't sure. Maybe she was just reading by a dim light. "That's bad for your eyes..." He imagined murmering to her before leaning in for their first kiss. This was getting patheitc. God, did everything concerning her have to turn him on. He smiled and shifted the majority of the boom box's weight to his other hand. _Yes. Yes, it did.  
_  
_"You're pulling me closer  
  
Just say no  
  
I say I don't like it...  
  
But you know I'm a liar  
  
Cause when we kiss... ohhhhh, fire..."  
_  
Some of the other lights were coming on. He heard vague cursings from one room. It was a guy in a bathrobe, screaming at him to shut off that damn music cause some people were trying to sleep! Malik yelled from the bushes, "Keep going, pharaoh! I think I heard something from her room!"  
  
Yami shifted the load to his right hand and quickly turned up the volume with his left before evening it out again.  
  
_"Late at night  
  
You're takin' me home  
  
You say you wanna stay  
  
I say I wanna be alone  
  
I say I don't know ya  
  
But you know I'm a liar  
  
Cause when we kiss... ohhhhh, fire..."  
_  
More lights and shouting. A hot girl on a third floor balcony told him to shut off that damn music and go to bed. A couple teenagers booed the song and told him to play something less lame. One guy even threw a hotel room bar of soap at him but it fell short of it's target, landing a few yards away from Yami and to the left. The lead vocalist and guitar player's arms were getting tired. Ari, where the hell are you?  
  
_"You've got a hold on me right from the start  
  
A grip so tight I couldn't tear it apart  
  
My nerves all jumping acting like a fool  
  
Your kisses they burn me but my heart stays cool"  
_  
Someone else yelled that the lyrics were wrong. Yami wore a stubborn IGNORE face, liking these lyrics better anyway, and kept waiting. Finally, he began to think that not even a nuclear holocaust could wake up his new girlfriend when the light came on in her room. YES!  
  
_"Romeo and Juliet  
  
Sampson and Delilah  
  
Baby you can bet  
  
Their love couldn't be denied  
  
My words say split  
  
But my words, they lie"  
_  
She appeared on her balcony, looking dazed at first, then disbelieving and curious. Yami smirked in his famous way and managed to keep the boom box steady on the tips of his fingers, though his arms ached like hell. She finally broke into a grin and shook her head, the admiration evident on her face. Mouthing the words "two seconds", Ari disappeared back inside and dashed through the room, out the door, down the hall and four flights of stair to get to her rockstar as the song continued.  
  
_"Cause when we kiss... ohhhhhh fire!"_  
  
She met him on the grass and he dropped the boom box into the dew before sweeping her off her feet in a passionate kiss. Malik cheered. Bakura whistled. Joey wiped a tear from his eye and Kaiba scowled as if he'd just witnessed a second stock market crash. Ari and Yami kissed and she later recalled it being like a thunderstorm, like burning incense... he swore it was lightning and as intimate as sex. After a pause, they would both tell you with a grin that, above all, well... it was like fire.

_"Cause when we kiss... ohhhhh fire!"_

* * *

Hope the chapter was ok. Took me long enough to update right? I liked the ending though. Ciao and always rock on! 


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